Beef & Wine Pairing for Profit

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Chastity Hunter
7 years ago
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1 Pairing Beef & Wine

2 Beef & Wine Pairing for Profit Principles for Pairing Beef and Wine About Tannins How to Select the Right Wine Beef Preparation & Wine Choice Upsell Opportunities

3 Why Pair Beef & Wine? 62% of patrons say they are most likely to order a bottle of wine with steak, vs. chicken or fish Source: IPSOS Public Affairs 2011 Beef and wine are both complex, savory and rich Mouthfilling concentrated wines provide just the right counterbalance to beef s dense texture Beef and wine share more than just flavor affinities; they re both about experience

4 Principles of Pairing Pair great with great, humble with humble Work with natural flavor affinities Complex wines go with simple preparations Robust seasonings require robust wines Watch weight when pairing

5 Principles of Pairing Fruitiness in food and fruitiness in wine have natural synergy Don t forget rosés Balance salty with sweet

6 About Tannins Tannin is a compound that comes from grape skins and seeds Some grape varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah and nebbiolo, are naturally high in this compound Tannin tastes bitter (like dark chocolate or espresso) and feels dry (like fine-gauge sandpaper) High-tannin wines taste best with dense foods that are rich in both protein and marbling (like beef), which offset this bitterness and dryness

7 Selecting the Right Wine Cabernet sauvignon is the most beef flexible wine. It mirrors beef s bold yet refined flavor and possesses considerable amount of tannin Many white wines and rosés work very well with beef Pair Thai beef salads and stir-fries with minerally Rieslings from Germany Steak salads with greens and vegetables pair well with sauvignon blanc A dry rosé with garlicky beef dishes is a must-try experience

8 Selecting the Right Wine Match wines and beef dishes of the same status Opt for a luxury cut such as Prime Rib, Tenderloin or Ribeye to complement rare and expensive wines Pair humble, flavorful beef dishes, like ribs, with juicy inexpensive reds from Argentina, Spain or the south of France Serve a fine Strip Steak or Prime Rib with a more complex, expensive wine, such as a top-flight Bordeaux or a great American cabernet

9 Beef Preparation & Wine Choice Cut of Beef Pair more flavorful cuts with bold wines and middle meat cuts from the rib and loin with more sophisticated, complex wines Marbling Marbling gives beef its richness. The more marbling, the more dense and concentrated the wine should be Seasonings and Spices Sprinkling beef with cracked black pepper helps the dish marry well with Syrah/shiraz, which has a black pepper like flavor

10 Beef Preparation & Wine Choice Seasonings and Spices (cont d) Herbs in a beef dish can underscore the hint of herbal flavor in many cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux Chiles need a cushion of sweetness to land on, so fiery-hot beef dishes often do best with a white wine that has a bit of residual sugar Toasted nuts, brown butter and sesame oil are all excellent bridges to an oaky chardonnay

11 Beef Preparation & Wine Choice Cooking Method Pair a grilled steak with a big cabernet sauvignon. The flame-seared flavors and crusty texture imparted by grilling are complemented by the toasty oak of the wine Soft, braised beef dishes taste best with wines that feel soft and seamless on the palate. For example, pair beef stew and red burgundy (pinot nior)

12 The biggest mistake in pairing beef and wine Adding blue cheese to the dish. It makes most wines - red and white - taste dull Save the blue cheese for dessert and serve it with a sweet fortified wine such as port

13 How to Upsell Feature one or two wine recommendations on the menu, adjacent to beef menu items Conduct wait staff tastings of great beef and wine pairings; the more your staff enjoys a pairing, the more likely they will be to sell it Train staff to get in the habit of suggesting by-the-glass offerings with beef dishes, and provide plenty of descriptive language for them to bring the pairing to life: We ve got a really juicy, soft zinfandel that ll be perfect with that, for $X a glass Offer a taste of a by-the-glass wine when you bring the beef dish to the table

14 How to Upsell Offer wine flights of three or four small servings of wine so guests can experience the interplay of several wine flavors with their beef dish Pair two different wines with two different beef cuts and offer as a small plate with wines to match Invite winemakers to participate in special winemaker dinners focused on wine and beef dishes Invest in supplemental education for your beverage manager so that he or she is well informed, can keep up with trends and is able to train staff to be comfortable suggesting beef and wine pairings

WINE & FOOD PAIRING Tasting Grid

WINE & FOOD PAIRING Tasting Grid Tasting Grid Affect on wine: +, -, ~ Tasting Instructions 1. Taste the. a. Circle the important components (,,,, ) for the wine. b. Circle the body for the wine. c. Then fill in the wine s flavors. d.